The Brighton & Sussex Centre for Global Health Research and Footwork are delighted to unite with local NGO and University partners and the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health to host this conference. As the country bearing the highest burden of podoconiosis globally as well as the one with the most advanced research and implementation, Ethiopia is the ideal setting for this conference.

The theme for this is ‘Research to Implementation: A Call for Global Action’. With this invitation to register, we are also calling for abstracts from all those involved in podoconiosis research and implementation. In order to stimulate high levels of participation, the conference programme will include two sessions of research presentations, one of implementation presentations, and a poster display area. Abstracts for each of these will be selected by competitive process, and prizes will be awarded for the best research and the best implementation presentations. Travel awards will be available for a limited number of selected abstracts.

The conference will be held at the Intercontinental Hotel, Addis Ababa. Accommodation is available there and at a number of other hotels within easy walking distance. The First International Podoconiosis Conference has been timed to precede the Neglected Tropical Disease NGO Network (NNN) conference, and the two conferences will be united through a joint Welcome Reception on Sunday evening.

The three years project [October 5, 2014 to October 5, 2017] Preventing Podo Project (PPP) which was funded by BIG Lottery through University of Sussex aim is to provide treatment and care for patients affected by podoconiosis and also prevent new podoconiosis cases through awareness raising in shoe wearing and basic hygiene .

To review the progress of the project, NaPAN carried out a two day project review meeting from May 30 to 31, 2017 at Addis Ababa. Thirteen participants from project implementing organizations attended the meeting.

The meeting reviewed not only the year three project period, but also the overall project performance since the start of the project against the project outcomes. With this regard, the project reached over 80, 000 community individuals directly through awareness raising activities and over one million communities indirectly through radio campaign, distributed over 600,000 pairs of TOMS shoes to primary school students, established over 100 STOP PODO School Clubs, treated over 60, 000 podoconiosis patients, established 12 patient-led groups, and trained over 300 clinical health workers in lymphedema morbidity management.

The meeting reached consensus that all existing efforts need to be used in its fullest capacity to meet the targets in the remaining four months.

NaPAN has recently received grant from USAID/HKI through RTI International for lymphedema morbidity management implementation in Oromia, Beneshangul-Gumuz and Tigray regions of Ethiopia under the Morbidity Management and Disability Prevention of Blinding Trachoma and Lymphatic Filariasis (MMDP) Project.

Through the project, NaPAN will work with the Federal Ministry of Health and the Oromia, Benshangul-Gumuz and Tigray Regional Health Bureaus to train health care workers and patients on how to diagnose and manage lymphedema and acute attacks in selected 32 woredas of these regions.

The project will build the lymphedema management capacity of 11 hospitals and 155 health centers and provide access to lymphedema treatment to 979 patients over the project period (February -September 2017) through integrating the services with the Federal ministry of health Primary Health care units.

During the course of the project, NaPAN will conduct a feasibility study to identify gaps and opportunities to formulate strategies to scaling up the lymphedema management that help determine intervention to additional woredas in Ethiopia. The study will be designed to inform on costing of patient tracking systems and/or intensified management in Ethiopia. It will also assess intervention feasibility in terms of acceptability, demand, practicality, implementation, adaptation, integration, and efficacy potential.

With the objective of capacity building of its member organizations, NaPAN conducted a three day workshop on Project Cycle Management at the Ethiopian Management Institute, Bishoftu from February 27 to March 1, 2017.

The following seven member organizations sent two trainees each for the workshop.

Our Mission:To coordinate and standardize efforts for the elimination of podoconiosis, to build the capacity of members and other stakeholders, and to support research for evidence based interventions.